Bella Scipione

Jan 11 2023

Good morning from Noosa Heads, Australia. G and I began our roadtrip up North early Tuesday morning and are stunned by the pristine beaches, tropical islands, and vibrant cities Queensland has to offer. There were zero expectations going into our trip, so we are soaking in all the views and enjoying every experience. The length of our roadtrip from Brisbane to Cairns is a total of 1,047 miles (1,685 km). For reference, this is approximately the same distance as driving from our home in Denver, Colorado to San Diego, California. We have so far only covered about 83 miles (134 km), but the next few days will include many hours of driving with stops at ‘Macca’s’ and ‘petrol stations’ (gas stations) along the way.

I was anxious prior to starting our roadtrip because Australian’s drive on the opposite side of the road than we do in America. The steering wheel is on the right, roundabouts are extremely confusing, and the speed limit is in km/hr. As complex as this seemed in the beginning, and despite my many errors of mistaking the windshield wipers for the blinkers, I feel more comfortable as each minute passes. The drive is absolutely stunning, with thousands of trees surrounding the highway system.

Check-in time at our hostel in Brisbane wasn’t available until later in the afternoon on Tuesday, so we decided to drive an hour South to Surfer’s Paradise. Many of our Australian mates recommended Surfer’s Paradise, so of course we had to check out what all the hype was about. Surfer’s Paradise is a seaside resort on Queenland’s Gold Coast. It is known for it’s high-rise skyline, Surfers Paradise beach, and wild night life – a place that reminds me of Miami. G and I spent the morning sun-tanning on the beach and stopped for lunch in town. There was a parking ticket waiting for us when we returned to the car. I had the car for not even five hours, and already received an infraction for not paying at the meter. Oopsies.

We drove back up to Brisbane and made way to our hostel. Brisbane is the capital and most populated city in Queensland. I am a self-proclaimed ‘city girl’, so I was of course ecstatic to be staying in the city for the night. G and I both took a nap in our hostel before going out for dinner in Fortitude Valley. We were prepared to enjoy a night out, but after one drink and delicious BLT’s, we realized how badly we needed some good sleep. Our days partying in Sydney clearly have taken it out of us and I applaud the boys for their constant rallying.

We woke up early yesterday morning, well rested, and ready for some more adventure. We drove an hour North to the Glass House National Park for an afternoon hike at the Glass House Mountains. There are multiple different summits you can choose to climb. Mount Ngungun (pronounced ‘noo noo’) is the sixth tallest of the Glass House Mountains at 830ft (253m). Mount Ngungun is a remnant of volcanic activity 27 to 26 million years ago. The peak began as magma (molten rock) that cooled beneath the ground surface forming hard, intrusive plugs. The hike was predicted to take approximately one hour to reach the top. G and I completed the climb in just under 30 minutes. The top of the peak has incredible views of the neighboring summits, Mount Tibrogargan, Mount Coonowrin and Mount Beerwah.

Upon completing our hike, we headed another hour North to Noosa Heads. Noosa Heads is a coastal town and suburb in the Shire of Noosa. G and I relaxed in our air bnb before walking down to Noosa Marina at sunset for some dinner. Noosa Marina is located on the banks of Noosa River. The river life hub includes many different restaurants and shops to enjoy and explore. We went for dinner at Noosa Italian and had an exquisite meal right on the river. Noosa Italian was evidently authentic Italian food. Our waiter was from Ancona, Italia, and we shared our travels around Italy with him. He was impressed with our pronunciations when we ordered our meals and knew we were of Italian descent. G ordered pizza with arugula and prosciutto. I ordered the chef’s special of handmade stuff Ravioli with prawns, on a bed of cherry sauce and goat cheese cream. We shared tiramisu for dessert and enjoyed our sister date.

Today we will set out into Noosa National Park for a chance to see koalas sleeping in the trees and dolphins frolicking at Dolphin Point. We look forward to adventuring into more of Australia’s diverse environment.